“Randy came here with big expectations,” said the Yankee manager. “It’s not like (Shawn) Chacon coming onto the scene, you read on every single page of the sports section about what you expect. Once he started to be able to just block everything out, I’ve become more comfortable because he’s become who he is.”

Which is?

“One of the few pitchers who has ever pitched that you do major re-hauling of your lineup against because he’s so dominating,” Torre said.

The Angels, hitting .219 for the series, are hurting for Garret Anderson’s and Chone Figgins’ first hit and Vladimir Guerrero’s first RBI. They can use some changes that manager Mike Scioscia has promised for Game 3 tonight.

He also might hope for a few lengthy rain delays to make a 42-year-old pitcher’s bones creak and slow his adrenalin pump.

A strong final six weeks for Johnson culminated in a division-clinching win Saturday in Boston.

“I’m assuming it will be a lot like Opening Day,” Johnson said. “This will be exciting, my first postseason start

as a Yankee.

“In Arizona, crowds were more animated when I pitched and I really fed off that. As a visiting player, when I have felt hostility, I have fed off that. So boo me or cheer me, do something I feed off.”

And the fact Johnson has been starving for a Division Series win since 1995, when he beat the Yankees twice (once in relief)?

Seven losses in his last seven first-round starts, has he chewed on that?

“I pitched some quality games in Houston and we lost both,” Johnson said. “The first year with the Diamondbacks (1999) I threw 270 innings so I was a little tired at the end of the year and the Mets beat me.

“This year is a different year and I feel there’s a lot of reserved energy in my tank. I didn’t throw nearly as many innings as in the past, about 235, still a lot but I’m ready to go.

“There’s no rhyme or reason for the Division Series record, but we’ll get beyond that and then I’m in waters I’m extremely comfortable with.”

A lot of pitchers, Johnson noted yesterday, would have considered 17-9, 3.08 a good maiden voyage, but there is only one Big Unit and he knows it.

Also, feels like it, finally.

“The last month-and-a-half I have been able to be consistent and I had not been because of my mechanics,” he said.

“Don’t ask me why, I guess I feel very fortunate that in Arizona, I never really had any mechanical problems until I got over here.

“I feel very comfortable with where I am right now. I am here to get this team over the top. There is no making mistakes in the postseason. Whether it’s a regular season or postseason game, I train the same way, but obviously you’re playing for a lot more.”

The Yankees wouldn’t have the chance to play for so much more if Johnson, for all the downs of his first Yankee season, wouldn’t consistently have come up so big (5-0) against Boston.

Maybe he already was rising to a playoff occasions before his first tonight as a Yankee.

—

Johnson in the zone

Randy Johnson 41

Here’s the scouting report on tonight’s Game 3 starting pitchers, by Inside Edge Scouting Services. Inside Edge has charted more than 5 million pitches since 1993. The Yankees are one of 13 major league teams who subscribe to this service.